# Iran is roiled by anti-government protests **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 2, 2026, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267 "2026-01-02T04:54:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/1 "2026-01-02T04:54:25Z")
[Iran is roiled by anti-government protests.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iran-shutdown-protesters-storm-governors-012851151.html) > [@](#): > > Iran ground to a near standstill Wednesday as businesses, universities and government offices closed under a government-ordered shutdown amid protests caused by a growing political and economic crisis. > > A 21-year-old volunteer member of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed Wednesday in a western province, Iranian state media reported, marking the first death among security forces during the protests. > > The death was reported in Kouhdasht, a city in Iran’s Lorestan province roughly 250 miles west of Tehran. And this next part really surprises me. (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > Additional footage shared by MEK shows **crowds chanting, “Death to Khamenei!”** and “Shame on you, shame on you!” as anger appears to spread across the country, with a particular focus on bazaar-led protests in Tehran. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/2 "2026-01-02T05:47:31Z")
There’s a pretty detailed Wikipedia article: > **[2025–2026 Iranian protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%932026_Iranian_protests)** > > 2. Systemic/ideological issues > 3. Economic pressures > Iranian protesters ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/3 "2026-01-02T06:44:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And this next part really surprises me. (The **bolding** is mine.) > > > [@](#): > > > > Additional footage shared by MEK shows **crowds chanting, “Death to Khamenei!”** While there are many flavors of the “death to…!” phrasing spoken in Farsi by Iranians, these very rarely mean that the speaker literally wishes death on the target. It’s an artifact of the language and culture that is widely misunderstood by outsiders. While “مرگ بر” (_marg bar_) does _literally_ mean “death to…” the true connotation is more like “the hell with” or “screw” whatever they’re commenting on. The linked article below was written to explain to offended Americans why Iranians like to chant “death to America,” but then goes into the general principle of the phrase and provides cultural context and several other similar phrases for illustration. > **[Death to America Explained & Other Persian Phrases Related to Death - My...](https://www.mypersiancorner.com/death-to-america-explained-other-persian-phrases-related-to-death/)** > > Discover why Iranians chant 'death to America' and learn common Persian phrases related to death in this cultural explainer. (My Tehran-born wife uses many of the phrases described in this article. “The appliance repairman didn’t show up for the appointment, dirt on his head!” and so on. She doesn’t _really_ want him to be pushed into a grave and buried. It’s just one of many things Persians say.) So the protesters are not _actually_ saying they want to drag Khamenei out into the street and execute him. Yes, it’s a strong phrase of rejection, and it’s noteworthy on those grounds. But don’t misinterpret what the protesters are saying or what they want based on the word “death.” As usual, Western media do a shitty job explaining the language and intentions of foreign people. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/4 "2026-01-02T09:39:01Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > So the protesters are not _actually_ saying they want to drag Khamenei out into the street and execute him. Yes, it’s a strong phrase of rejection, and it’s noteworthy on those grounds. But don’t misinterpret what the protesters are saying or what they want based on the word “death.” They aren’t _necessarily_ saying that they want to drag Khamenei into the street and execute him but I think in this _particular_ case that’s precisely what many of the protestors want. And hopefully, they’ll get what they want this time around. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/5 "2026-01-02T10:08:02Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I think in this _particular_ case that’s precisely what many of the protestors want Perhaps, but saying “death to Khamenei” is almost certainly not an explicit expression of that wish. It seems counterintuitive, but that’s how Farsi works. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/6 "2026-01-02T13:28:41Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > While there are many flavors of the “death to…!” phrasing spoken in Farsi by Iranians, these very rarely mean that the speaker literally wishes death . . . President Masoud Pezeshkian went on Tucker Carlson last year and [assured us regarding Donald Trump](https://www.iranintl.com/en/202507101251) just as you suggest: > [@](#): > > “This is not specifically about the President of the United States or any other individual,” Pezeshkian told Carlson. “Religious scholars have expressed their scholarly views, but this fatwa in no way implies killing or threats.” However: > [@](#): > > Hossein Shariatmadari, Kayhan’s Khamenei-appointed editor-in-chief, dismissed Pezeshkian’s interpretation. > > “Your information is flawed and inaccurate,” he wrote in an editorial on Wednesday. “Individuals such as Trump, Netanyahu, and some other U.S. officials fall under this ruling, and their punishment is execution.” I’ll accept that lots of “death to” demonstrators do not really believe in capital punishment for bad leaders, but I’d like to see some sort of poll before accepting that it is “very rare”. Are you sure there aren’t multiple common interpretations of the “death to” chants, just like with the fatwas? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/7 "2026-01-02T13:55:59Z")
Even if it doesn’t literally mean wishing death on someone, it’s still unambiguously a strong criticism of the Leader, of a sort that would be expected to draw harsh consequences in a state like Iran, and people are still saying it out loud in public. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/8 "2026-01-02T13:58:04Z")
And lots of folk who say “Fuck Trump” are not actually suggesting sexual relations with him. Anyway. Any chance this doesn’t end with a violent crackdown and severe repression with the morality police back in full enforcement mode? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/9 "2026-01-02T13:58:46Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Are you sure there aren’t multiple common interpretations of the “death to” chants, just like with the fatwas? Read the article I linked to understand “death to” in its proper cultural context. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/10 "2026-01-02T14:10:00Z")
[US ready to intervene if Iran kills protesters, Trump warns](https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601026411) > [@](#): > > “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” he wrote. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” Trump waited to say this until after they already had killed protesters, and the U.S. had failed to come to their rescue. Or maybe Trump thinks making idle threats is the equivalent of coming to the rescue. I realize this is one of those times you cannot take Trump literally. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/11 "2026-01-02T14:12:39Z")
Well there are multiple common meanings of “come to their rescue” … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/12 "2026-01-02T14:15:38Z")
Never mind that after people get killed isn’t exactly the right time to “rescue” them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/13 "2026-01-02T14:30:48Z")
A serious potable water shortage in Tehran ain’t helping anything. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/14 "2026-01-02T14:44:39Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Any chance this doesn’t end with a violent crackdown and severe repression with the morality police back in full enforcement mode? They’re already firing live rounds at protestors. So it’s already too late for that. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/15 "2026-01-02T14:48:12Z")
There’s live rounds with a few deaths and there are massacres, with persistent enforcement by violent means. I’m concerned more about the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/16 "2026-01-02T14:49:08Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Trump waited to say this until after they already had killed protesters, and the U.S. had failed to come to their rescue. Or maybe Trump thinks making idle threats is the equivalent of coming to the rescue. I realize this is one of those times you cannot take Trump literally. Maybe he thought the Iranian security forces meant “death to the protestors” metaphorically? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/17 "2026-01-02T17:18:52Z")
Maybe Trump meant his thoughts and prayers are with them. TACO. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/18 "2026-01-02T18:09:13Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > [US ready to intervene if Iran kills protesters, Trump warns](https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601026411) > > > [@](#): > > > > “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” he wrote. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” > > Trump waited to say this until after they already had killed protesters, and the U.S. had failed to come to their rescue. Or maybe Trump thinks making idle threats is the equivalent of coming to the rescue. I realize this is one of those times you cannot take Trump literally. I can see Trump getting a briefing advising him that the CIA was helping foment the protests, and responding with this sort of bloviating. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/19 "2026-01-02T19:48:53Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > > “If Iran shoots and violently kills So if they can kill them _non-violently_, everything will be okay? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/20 "2026-01-02T19:59:15Z")
Or violently without a gun. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267.md?page=2)